VOX Box: Let's Make a Deal
Characters * Red X * "The Scourge" * Luke "Wingman" Fox * "Deacon" Blackfire * "Black Spider" * "Mutant" Location * SoBMC Clubhouse, Otisburg, Gotham City, NJ * March 14th 2016, 2101 Local Time VOX Archive * Wingman: shuffling, sigh, footsteps, papers shuffling under-breath: Come on... Where is it? papers shuffling, groan Where are you? clatter I... I left it right here, I know I- * Scourge: switch click Looking for this? * Wingman: What the-? Scourge, what are you doing in my room? * Scourge: footsteps My job. What are you doing in here? * Wingman: The Saint asking you to search my expletive? * Scourge: No. * Wingman: Then it ain't going to be your job for long... once the Saint hears about you rummaging through- * Scourge: The Saint is not going to care about me violating your privacy when I show him you've been a spy. * Wingman: A spy? What the hell are you-? * Scourge: This nifty gadget is an earpiece. Super sophisticated. Definitely looks like ARGUS-level expletive to me. * Wingman: scoff That? Hardly, it's just something I got in the military. I turned it into a Bluetooth rig to wear while riding. * Scourge: You're lying. * Wingman: scoff Whatever. I don't have to take this expletive from you. I'm going to the Saint. footsteps * Scourge: footsteps No. You're not. * Wingman: Yes, I am. Out of my way before I have to hurt you- * Scourge: clatter * Wingman: Whoa, what are you-? * Scourge: breath I'm agent Catalina Flores with the FBI... * Wingman: Whoa... A expletive fed? You're toast- * Scourge: Cut the expletive, Fox. I know you ain't going to turn me in. * Wingman: And why wouldn't I? * Scourge: You're a good guy. I looked at your military file. I know you're a hero. I know what happened to your brother Timothy. Gangs killed him. You're here to take down this gang from inside. I know I'm right. Don't even expletive try to deny it. * Wingman: Yeah, okay, suppose you're right... Suppose I don't turn you in... Why you telling me this? You gonna to try telling me to get the expletive out of here before I hurt myself? Something about letting the professionals handle this? * Scourge: What? No... I need someone to watch my back. My placement as the Scourge offers me a lot of access, but it doesn't really do me any favors in the friend department. If I slip up, even a little, everyone in this gang becomes my enemy. * Wingman: Wait- You're... You're asking me to be your partner? * Scourge: Look, I'm not saying we need to make this a joint investigation or anything. In my experience, that just opens us both up to the risk that some bureaucrat lets it slip that their agency has got two moles in the SOBs and then we're both screwed. The less people know about this operation, the better. So I'm just saying, maybe we show professional courtesy here and there. If one of us gets in hot water, the other can offer an alibi or deflect suspicion, run interference... You know, that kind of thing. You follow? * Wingman: Yeah, okay... I follow. How many people in the FBI know about your operation? * Scourge: Just myself and my two handlers. You? * Wingman: Uh, I have a small, but dedicated team. * Scourge: What agency are you with? * Wingman: That's, uh, classified. * Scourge: Classified? Huh... I had you pegged for ARGUS. Okay. You do know that the CIA can't run domestic operations, right? * Wingman: Not with the CIA... or ARGUS for that matter, either. * Scourge: NSA? * Wingman: No, uh, not them either... * Scourge: Okay, so the DEO then? * Wingman: sigh I'm not with the government. * Scourge: You have a corporate sponsor? The Sons piss off some billionaire or something? * Wingman: Yeah, you could say that... * Scourge: You're working for your father, aren't you? Okay. Yeah, it tracks he'd want to take down gangs, too. * Wingman: Yeah, okay, can I have my earpiece back then or-? * Red X: clatter * Wingman: What the hell is that? * Scourge: It's... It's coming from above us. Luke, look out! * Red X: tiles break, thuds: 3 instances * Black Spider: distant: You hear that? * Red X: groan Ow... Not my most graceful landing, but still not my worst. At least I kept my pants on this time. gasp Whoa, no way! Is that-? clatter, excited squeal O.M.G.! It is! It's Dumas' Mask! There's the bullet dent which forced Dumas to reveal himself to be Batman's former sidekick, back from the grave! giggle * Scourge: clatter Hand that over right now before I- groan * "Deacon" Blackfire: distant: You and Mutant go check it out. * Mutant: distant: On it... * Scourge: expletive, that ain't good. * Mutant/Black Spider: heavy footsteps, distant footsteps * Red X: Wait a minute... beep, gasp Yup. Facial recognition confirms it. Catalina Flores, aka Tarantula. What're you doing here in Gotham? Shouldn't you be in Blüdhaven? Wait... What's this? pause Wow, that's a juicy little tidbit, ain't it? My helmet here says that you get a little weak in the knees for vigilantes. I just gotta ask, is my suit doing anything for you? Because if you're into it, I think we should totally schedule some patrols toge- * Scourge: Shut up and give me back my mask! You're going to get us both killed. * Red X: Oh, well I don't want that... Here you go. * Scourge: clatter There,that's better... So, who the hell are you? * Red X: Red X. * Scourge: Wait, aren't you a thief or something? * Red X: I have many talents... as you do, agent. * Scourge: Fair enough... Luke, you good? * Red X: clatter Uh, the HUD in my optics tells me he's out. * Scourge: You've got a remote vitals scanner in there? * Red X: Uh, no... Not entirely. I do but it's limited. Doesn't work on everyone, but for some reason it works for him. * Black Spider: knock muffled: Luke, you good? It's Spider, we heard some commotion coming from this area. * Scourge: whisper: expletive, I can't be seen in here. * Red X: whisper: Go out the window. I'll cover you. * Scourge: whisper: You'll cover me? Why the hell should I trust- Forget it! footsteps, glass shattering * Black Spider: muffled: Mutant, I heard a window shatter. Take the door down. * Red X: whisper: Okay... Just gotta buy her some time... beep * Mutant: muffled: You got it... * Red X: Huh, what's this? clatter Did she drop this or did this guy here have it? beep Whoa, my HUD's lighting up with data on this piece of hardware... just like it did for this dude's vitals. What the hell is this about- Why am I talking to myself? * Mutant: wood shattering, splinters scattering, heavy footsteps Knock, knock... cracking Who the hell is this? * Black Spider: footsteps I don't know but it looks like he took down the Sergeant-In-Arms. Let's kill this expletive. * Red X: Whoa, whoa, whoa... Hold on there... expletive? Did you really just call me a expletive? There was no need for that! Look, you want to come at me with Goliath or whatever there, that's fine. Throw punches, rough me up, whatever. I'm a big boy. I'm wearing some armor. I'm living a lifestyle that skews toward violence. I get that. But there was never any need to start hurling obscenities and insults at me. Come on, guys.Words hurt. Let's all just play nice here. Okay? * Mutant: laughter This guy for real? * Black Spider: We'll find out soon enough when you tear his limbs off one at a time. * Red X: Whoa... Uh... Look, I'm sorry for dropping in on your friend, breaking some holes in your Clubhouse, but I'm literally attached to to my limbs. I'd prefer I got to walk away with them intact... So, here's the deal. I got this picture of Paige Monroe autographed and everything. It's worth a solid two or three hundred. chuckle Swapsies? sigh Okay then... Smokes bombs! debris flying, pained screams: 2 instances Oops. Sorry. That was my X-Caltrops grenade... Whoopsie... I'm just gonna... thud Whoops, little blood puddle there... chuckle, beep, zztt Trivia and Notes * This is an updated version of a VOX of the same name, but from the Pre-Reboot Timeline. * Story continues in VOX Box: Countdown 3 - March. Links and References * VOX Box: Let's Make a Deal Category:VOX Box Category:Red X/Appearances Category:Catalina Flores/Appearances Category:Luke Fox/Appearances Category:Joseph Blackfire/Appearances Category:Eric Needham/Appearances Category:Mutant/Appearances Category:Sons of Batman/Appearances Category:SoBMC Clubhouse/Appearances Category:Otisburg/Appearances Category:Gotham City/Appearances